Texas Tech Today

Texas Tech Installs New Public Art

The two sculptures were added to campus before the fall semester started.

"Agave Dreams" by Julian Voss-Andreae

From Greek mythology to science, the new public art on campus covers various topics.

The Texas Tech University System Public Art program recently installed several pieces of art across campus as part of several projects.

“Agave Dreams” was installed near the Biology Building on July 30 as part of the 1
percent Public for Art fund from the Biology Life Safety project. The sculpture was
created by artist Julian Voss-Andreae, who was selected in 2014 through the call for artists and the finalist interviews.
He started working on the sculpture during Fall 2014 and it is the first piece he
was commissioned for by Texas Tech.

Voss-Andreae said he started the design work in June 2014 and fabrication began in
February 2015.

“It is a great honor to contribute to Texas Tech's amazing public art collection,”
Voss-Andreae said.

“Agave Dreams” is a female figure welded from more than 1,000 laser-cut steel triangles
using 3-D scanning, cutting-edge algorithms from computer graphics and software custom
designed by Voss-Andreae and used as design tools. The figure is depicted as kneeling
on the earth with outstretched hands touching the ground, sheltering an agave plant
between the hands, according to the artist.

The sculpture is 10 feet tall and colored blue to represent the sky and water, said
Emily Wilkinson, public art director. The sculpture appears to bless a live agave
outside the Biology Building and is incorporated with other plants at the site, providing
a central approach to viewing nature.

“The sculpture is one of the newest additions to the Texas Tech University System's
Public Art Collection, one of the top 10 ranked public art programs in the nation,”
Wilkinson said. “This piece is a unique addition to a varied collection, showing that
each piece is specific to its location, but also contributes to the overall outstanding
quality of the public art collection.”

Zeus or Poseidon of Artemision

“Zeus or Poseidon of Artemision” was installed on the west side of the Texas Tech
University Library Aug. 12 as part of the Campus Beautification project. The sculpture
was donated to the Texas Tech Public Art Collection in 2013 by Ronald and Susan Welborn
in honor of Glenn and Rene Wade, who both graduated from Texas Tech in 1983. The base
and installation costs were funded by the 1 percent public art money in the campus
beautification project budget.

The Welborns first met the Wades through the oil and gas industry, in which the two
families both participate. The Welborns and Wades have gotten to know each other through
the industry, and Welborn said they wanted to honor the couple by donating a piece
of art in their names.

The Welborns, who reside in Fort Worth and also are in the ranching business, have
donated art before, although this is the first time they have donated to Texas Tech,
and Welborn said it will not be the last.

“The people at Texas Tech that have graduated and the people I knew at Texas Tech
are what we call solid citizens in the ranching business,” Welborn said. “They are
caring people that look out for their neighbors. Texas Tech is like going home every
day.”

Karen Holden, director of development, first discovered that the Welborns were interested in donating
the statue in August 2013. Holden and Erin Vaden, the previous public art manager,
viewed the sculpture later that fall, and the donation was gifted in late December
2013.

The sculpture embodies beauty, control and strength, and it was created during the
beginning of the classical period for Greek sculpture, Wilkinson said.

The statue on campus is a cast that was created in 1992 in Italy, she said. Its location
was determined because the west side of the Library is part of the Campus Beautification
project, but the location also was chosen because there is a statue of Prometheus
located on the east side of the building. As a result, the placement provides balance.

At the Bayer CropScience building, "Variations" is a five-sculpture installment by
Aaron Stephan. It transforms light fixtures to resemble plants growing from the ground.

“Thought to represent the mightiest of the Olympian gods Zeus, or less likely Poseidon,
this monumental bronze sculpture was found in two pieces at the bottom of the sea
off the Cape of Artemision in the 1920s,” Wilkinson said. “Zeus is the militant protector
ready for action and would have originally been holding a thunderbolt. The statue
most likely was created as a votive for a temple dedicated to Zeus. In presenting
such works as offerings, the Greeks attempted to appease their gods, earing divine
assistance or favor in return.”

The Public Art program installed two other sculptures during the summer, at Bayer
CropScience and Bayer Plant Science. Facilities Planning and Construction, which oversees
the Public Art program, also is working on public art for the Innovation Hub and Research
Park, the new addition to the Rawls College of Business Building, the Human Sciences
Life Safety project, the Maddox Engineering Research Center and the new System Office
Building.

About Julian Voss-Andreae Voss-Andreae is a German-American sculptor based in Portland, Oregon. He has been
commissioned for works at several other U.S. universities, and his background in science
often is reflected in the sculptures he creates. Other works include “Spannungsfeld”
and protein sculptures: “Synergy” and “Angel of the West.” For more information, visit
his website.

About Ronald and Susan Welborn The Welborns participate in the ranching and oil and gas industries and live in Fort
Worth. The family has been collecting original molds for Michelangelo's art since
the early 2000s and has donated Michelangelo busts to several sites, including cathedrals
in New York and a church in Fort Worth.

Photo Gallery

The Texas Tech University System's Public Art Program was initiated by the Board of Regents as an investment in the campus environment
and an extension of Texas Tech's educational mission. The Public Art Committee, with
the Public Art Manager, commissions original public artworks of the highest quality,
be they permanently sited, portable, or architecturally integrated. These works are
funded using one percent (1%) of the estimated total cost of each new major capital
project.